LAS VEGAS, NEV. (April 14, 2012) -- Eyes on the prize baby. Eyes on the prize. Undefeated former lightweight champion BRANDON “Bam Bam” RIOS and World Boxing Association (WBA) interim lightweight title holder RICHARD ABRIL will be fighting for more than the vacant WBA lightweight title and guaranteed purses Saturday night at Mandalay Bay, they will be fighting for a $50,000 bonus that will be awarded to the winner.

The Rio vs. Abril rumble is the co-main event to three-division world champion and Méxican icon JUAN MANUEL MÁRQUEZ (53-6-1, 39 KOs), of México City, going for his fourth world title in as many different weight divisions when he rumbles with World Boxing Organization (WBO) European junior welterweight champion SERGEY FEDCHENKO (30-1, 13 KOs), of Kharkov, Ukraine, for the vacant WBO interim 140-pound world title. Márquez vs. Fedchenko and Rios vs. Abril headline a world championship pay-per-view event that’s so big its main events are originating from two different countries!

Márquez vs. Fedchenko will take place in México City’s brand new Arena México, while Rios vs. Abril and two other exciting fights will take place at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Tomorrow! Saturday, April 14. Boxing fans at Mandalay Bay will also see the Márquez vs. Fedchenko world title fight live, via closed-circuit, on a jumbo screen. The Márquez/Rios world championship event will be produced by Top Rank and distributed Live by HBO Pay-Per-View®, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

“Prizefighting is part of boxing’s heritage. In the early years of modern professional boxing, offering a bonus or “prize” to the winner of a fight was a tradition. It added more excitement for the fighters and the fans,” said Todd duBoef, President of Top Rank, the promoter of Saturday night’s world championship pay-per-view event. “We wanted to bring the prize aspect back into fight game and this seemed to be the perfect platform to do it. After personally witnessing their animosity toward each other throughout fight week, I think Rios and Abril will be looking at the $50,000 bonus more as the spoils of victory than as a performance incentive. They can’t wait to go for it and one-up each other!”

“When I win my title back on Saturday night you can call my bank account Rios Grande,” stated Rios (29-0-1), of Oxnard, Calif. “I know he’s going to try and run from me all night like Forrest Gump. ‘Run Robert. Run.’ But on Saturday night I’m going to turn Forrest Gump into Forrest Chump.”

“You know why Rios is called ‘Bam Bam?’ Because he has pebbles for brains,” said Abril (17-2-1, 8 KOs), a Cuban expatriate now living in Miami, Fla. “He has to pay a guy to teach him to eat right? I learned how to do that when I was three. He’s an idiot. I’m going to break his mouth, break his heart and break his piggy bank. Come on down Bam Bam. The prize is right – FOR ME!”

Today’s Official Weigh-In is open to the public. It will take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Doors Open at 2 p.m. PT with the pay-per-view fighters stepping on the scale at 3 p.m. PT.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions, Tecate and AT&T, remaining tickets, priced at $250, $150, $100, $50 and $25, not including applicable service charges, are available at all Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Mandalay Bay at (877) 632-7400 or Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

SERGIO MARTINEZ TO APPEAR AS SPECIAL GUEST ON ESPN DEPORTES

New York, NY (4/13/12) - Tonight, the universally recognized Middleweight Champion of the world, Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez will be the special guest on ESPN Deportes' Viernes de Combates (the domestic Spanish version of Friday Night Fights). Martinez, who will arrive at the ESPN studios this afternoon to partake in a number of media activities prior to the Friday Night Fights telecast, will be bringing his own special guest along to accompany him, Monique McClain.

For those who don't already know, Monique is the young teenage girl who Sergio befriended before his title fight against Serhiy Dzinziruk last March at Foxwoods in Connecticut. Monique was being so badly bullied by her classmates that her family took her out of school. Upon learning of Monique's situation, Martinez, who is an outspoken advocate and avid supporter of ending violence against women and children, invited Monique and her family to spend some time with him prior to his title fight and to be his special guest at the fight. The relationship between Martinez and Monique has continued to grow over the last year, with Monique spending time at that champion's training camp in Oxnard during the preparation for his October 2011 middleweight title defense of Darren Barker as well as being ringside for each of Martinez' last three title defenses. (Editors Note: A few months ago, Monique re-entered school and is doing better than ever.)

"Being a world champion, and being in the position I am in, one of the most important things I can do in my life is to bring awareness to society what a serious situation this is (Domestic Violence and Bullying). I am very excited to be on ESPN Deportes, and have the opportunity to speak out about these causes to such a large audience," said Martinez.

"I am very proud to be part of Sergio Martinez's campaign and be able to collaborate with him on his mission to end violence against the un-defensible. Sergio continues to show that he is not only a great champion inside the ring but outside as well," said long-time adviser Sampson Lewkowicz.

"We are thrilled that Sergio will be a guest on Viernes de Combates, the domestic Spanish version of the Friday Night Fights series, and even happier that he will get an opportunity to champion his causes of anti-bullying and anti-domestic violence. It will also be great for the domestic and international boxing viewers to meet Monique and learn what kind of champion Sergio is outside of the ring," said promoter Lou DiBella.

It was a busy couple of days for Martinez. Just yesterday, Martinez participated in "The Y Factor - Men Leading by Example", a national summit in San Francisco that honors men working to end violence against women and children. Other special guests at the summit included baseball legends Willie Mays and Joe Torre, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, Department of Justice Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West, Thomas Goetz, the Executive Editor of WIRED Magazine, and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Joel Brinkley.

Below is a list of just some of the causes and/or organizations that Martinez is an advocate and supporter of:

- WBC Word Boxing Cares: World Champions Against Bullying

- New York City Councilwoman Julissa Ferrers, who chairs the committee on Women's Issues and representatives from the Dominican Women's Development Center and the Violence Intervention Program

- Federal legislation: The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)

Baltimore-Pittsburgh “The Rematch” Scheduled for May 4!

Baltimore, MD (April 13, 2012) – Promoter Jake Smith of Baltimore Boxing Promotions announced that Team Baltimore and Team Pittsburgh will fight again Friday, May 4 at the Du Burns Arena.

Dubbed as, “The Rematch”, the card is headlined by a Maryland State Title bout between Jerome Featherstone Jr. and Maurice Stokes. A Maryland native who attended The Boys’ Latin School, Featherstone Jr. later became a Marine and standout wrestler at the University of Oklahoma. Featherstone Jr, the son of a Baltimore wrestling legend, is one of the region’s better known boxers.

The two squads previously met on March 23 at Michael’s Eighth Avenue in nearby Glen Burnie, MD, with Team Baltimore earning a close victory following an outstanding night of Olympic-style boxing. Throughout the evening, the capacity crowd was on their feet enjoying the nonstop action. Upon the card’s completion, both the fighters and spectators were eager to know when there’d be a rematch.

“I’ve been promoting both pro and amateur shows for a number of years now and this is the best response I’ve ever had following one of my cards,” said Smith, a former pro fighter who runs a local gym Baltimore Boxing and Fitness. “This really reminded me of a Ravens-Steelers game. The fights were down to the wire and the crowd was really into it. Everybody wanted another Baltimore-Pittsburgh card as soon as possible and I’m happy to deliver it!”

Individual tickets purchased in advance start at $25 and VIP tables of 10 range from $350-500. Individual VIP tickets are available for $50 and all VIP ticketholders can enjoy catered food from various local eateries and half price drinks during a special happy hour.

All bouts are sanctioned by USA boxing and tickets to “The Rematch” can be purchased by calling 410-375-9175 or going to baltimoreboxing.com.

Doors open at 6:30 and the Du Burns arena is located at 1301 S Ellwood Ave in Baltimore, MD.